Chapter 5 - Downwards momentum

Finally after two weeks of calm seas the ship arrived at Orth´s port. Tanya hoped that her silent agreement with Bondrewd would continue once they arrived. She knew she would otherwise dearly miss their little nightly discussions, not to mention that she would lose her number one opportunity to learn about the Abyss without having to actually explore it (which was invaluable).

All the other kids had shed most of their clothing many days ago to free themselves from the, in their opinion, extremely hot temperatures. Meanwhile Tanya, who spent most of her time under deck making notes on the paper Bondrewd had graciously provided her with, was still covered from head to toe. That was the only reason she didn't immediately got sunburned when they stepped from board like many others.

Nonetheless were many of the children exited to experience what life down in the south was like, but sadly their dreams of an exotic cuisine and colourful landmarks were crushed right away. They had no chance of actually seeing anything of the city, because they were directly herded into a strange metal contraption that looked like copper pavilion or as some of the kids put it: A shiny onion.

This was apparently a vehicle that moved on rails which disappeared ominously into the ground. Bondrewd explained it existed to ease their trip down to the fifth layer, which as Tanya knew was over 12.000 meters below them. She was very thankful for not having to walk or climb all that. Especially after she had seen pictures of some of the more vicious predators that lived down there.

Unfortunately that meant that Bondrewd would be outside to guard them, which increased her respect of the man once again. He was willing to risk his life for their (and most importantly, her) protection, when he could be safely travelling inside the metal container under the pretext that he kept an eye on the children. Instead he heroically put his own wellbeing at peril for their protection. He truly cared for them it seemed.

No matter how nice the gesture was, he was still her employer and she could not risk losing the only lifeline she had in this world. So she went up to him while he watched the children enter the vehicle and gripped his hand to maximize the power of her massage. Physical contact like this served well to convey the urgency of the situation that she was experiencing and she hoped dearly that he wouldn't think of her as rude for attempting something so intimate.

She looked up to the spot where she presumed his eyes to be and displayed openly all the sincere worry that she was feeling on her face.
"Bondrewd Sir, please be safe. After you showed me the dangers of the netherworld I cannot help but worry about your safety. Please do not overexert yourself and always stay near the others. Your life is too precious to be easily wasted through bad luck or ignorance. I know that you are one of the most experienced and capable delvers there is, but accidents can always happen. Let us meet again at Ido Front; healthy and in high spirits. Otherwise I would be... terribly lost without you."

He just looked at her before he squatted down to be more at eye level with her comparatively tiny frame. Then instead of scolding her or telling her not to worry he did the unexpected: He hugged her briefly before also taking her other hand.

"I will do that my dear. I shall place the utmost importance on my life so that we can meet again. There is so much I want to show you and it is going to be wonderful. Thank you for placing your trust in me Tanya. I will not disappoint you."

She smiled brightly. Why couldn't she meet someone like this sooner? Her original parents had been weak fools; content with their position in life they had never strived to become better. Such small-minded weaklings had never been able to understand, let alone impress her. Bondrewd did both. In that moment of reminiscence she wished that he could have been her father, but such dreams were a waste of time... No, it was actually now possible. She was a child again, as much as she tried to ignore that. Maybe it was some suppressed part of her psyche that screamed for emotional validation, but for a heartbeat or two she couldn't help but see at the Lord of Dawn in a new light. A fatherly one.

These irrational feelings were promptly squashed as her mind wrestled her heart into the usual chokehold again. She blushed as she thought about how stupid she was behaving. There was no way he looked at her like that anyway. She had not achieved anything yet and had provided her superior no real profit after all. If she wanted to reap the benefits that came with being part of a white-whistle´s family she needed to earn them.

Resolve shone brightly in her eyes as she nodded at Bondrewd before bowing and following the rest of the children into the carriage. It wouldn't be seemly to waste anymore of her caretaker´s undoubtedly precious time after all.

Due to lack of sunlight or a clock of any form she was unsure how long their journey downwards actually lasted, but it certainly felt like days. The other orphans were constantly scared and anxious by the sometimes rough ride. Especially by the admittedly scary sounds of unidentifiable horrors that lurked outside.

One time the container was rocked by an explosion and came to a complete halt. No one dared to utter a single sound in the silence that followed and Tanya was loath to admit that even she feared for the worst. After the three most agonizing minutes of her life a knock was heard from the door and the journey resumed.

She spent the rest of the time going over her notes and memorizing them in detail or practicing some of her training moves. How knew that you could do sit-ups even in a swaying vehicle if you jam your legs between a few pipes. It was mildly uncomfortable, but it got the job done. She needed to be strong to survive.

When their metal prison actually stopped for good she rushed immediately to the door and stood at attention. She received weird looks for effort, but the opinions of those idiots did not faze her at all. With a loud the door swung open and she smiled up at Bondrewd waiting for her them.

"Do you see Tanya? I held my promise."

The smirk in his voice was audible.

"Now come along my children. Your exiting journey comes to an end here."